But just like any popularity contest, numbers – votes – matter, right?

And eventually, you start feeling a little “less than” when looking at your stats.

What’s easy to forget, however, is the blogs that launched at zero and are now incredibly successful with a gazillion subscribers (usually) took a long and, sometimes, very calculated road to get there.

Big Numbers are Hard Work

Some of what transpired on that roadway to earn a katrillion subscribers may have included these mile markers:

Fast forward to today – is your blog on track with your original goals? Are you happy and content, no matter the number of followers you have? Or, are you just going through the motions without rhyme or reason, concerned because you haven’t hit the big time?

The bigger question to ask yourself is this: Do you really care whether you have a boatload of subscribers?

More Subscribers Means More Accountability

Being a blogging superstar isn’t a walk in the park.When a blogger hits the big time and earns a ton of subscribers or has a large community commenting, said blogger has to be there to reply, engage, comment, and return the favor.

A blog with oodles of subscribers also has to become more accountable, and that takes oodles of time and money.

Here’s why:

You need to be consistent in publishing.

The posts must have authoritative content that leads and bleeds (that means it’s provocative).

You must provide thought-provoking, influence-building, genuine, original, and authoritative material.

You should respond to every single person who stops in to say anything.

And install all the new bells, whistles, plugins, and design requirements to keep everything fresh.

You’ll most likely invest in an IT firm, team, or professional who can help with the backend.

And you need to master analytics, big data, and the next big gizmo, to lead the community to it.

It’s also important to make the distinction that a high number of subscribers does not a community make. Not every subscriber will engage and leave comments, for example. And you might have a rich, lively, and loyal group who does just that.

Consider also that if each person who subscribed to your blog (if you had 1,000) commented on each blog post, you’d probably crash the server!

So, rather than getting caught up in subscriber-numbers as a metric of “success,” look back at the lists above, rediscover why you started writing in the first place, and be true to your school.

If it’s all about the numbers, and you have the time to invest, then definitely go for it.

But if you’re blogging mainly for the love of craft, your consistency and passion will enable real, organic growth, with more subscribers rolling in on a daily basis.